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Demographic changes have led to a serious shortfall in school places across the UK. Government figures projected that by 2023, there will be a total of 8,022,000 pupils in England's schools – an increase of 880,000 pupils.

The rise in birth rates, the numbers of people moving to cities such as London, Leeds and Bristol, and the level of new housing, have significantly increased the pressure on education provision – and now secondary schools as well as primary education.

Completion times can be halved, which will result in earlier occupation for the school – an important advantage when there is so much pressure on school places. Construction work is also safer, quieter and less disruptive if more work takes place in a factory – with a direct and positive impact on teaching.

Schools have to adapt over time, and so do their facilities. The space in all new buildings should be designed to allow for different uses, to meet changing requirements, and the needs of the local community out-of-hours.

Modular buildings can easily be expanded, vertically or horizontally, without the need for decanting, and installation can be timed to take place during school holidays. Non-load bearing partitions and clear unrestricted internal spans of up to 12m facilitate space planning and the ability to meet a school’s changing needs.

There are literally thousands of configurations and permutations, and the most advanced off-site solutions are sufficiently flexible to meet almost any site, building footprint or education requirement.

Buildings manufactured off site can be installed in completely enclosed courtyards, on raised platforms, and on the roofs of existing facilities. This means that areas of a school site can now be expanded or developed which may not have access to the plant, materials and equipment required for site-based building methods. This is a key benefit for schools where space for expansion is severely restricted and yet the demand for places continues to rise.

Existing buildings can be seamlessly extended using an off-site solution, vertically or horizontally, giving schools even more flexibility to expand capacity requirements and optimise efficiency in the use of space.

The Portakabin Group delivered three two-storey teaching wings for a new secondary school in Cambridgeshire using a Yorkon off-site solution.

The building was required to provide teaching accommodation for 750 pupils aged 11 to 16, to help meet the growing demand for secondary school places in the county following an increase in housing locally and rising birth rates.

The 7,000sqm scheme for Cambridgeshire County Council was the first new secondary school to be constructed in the county for 30 years. The main contractor was Kier Construction.

Sean Sumner, Deputy Head at Cambourne Village College said, “The children and staff absolutely love their new school and you would never know the teaching wings were built in a factory. The feel is very solid and robust and we particularly like the amount of space and light, the wide corridors and the size of the classrooms.”

One of the highest-performing state schools in Leicestershire, Martin High School in Anstey, was expanding from a middle school for 11-14 year olds to a secondary school, catering for 11-16 year olds. A new eight-classroom building was needed to accommodate 50 per cent more pupils.

“This was a new venture for the school and we have been very pleased with both the finished result and the construction process. The building is designed to make the most of the fantastic views from the windows of a nearby beauty spot. The design blends in well with the countryside and we have created a truly iconic building for the school.”